Keane warns Iranian regime to take Trump 'dead serious' on protest killing threat amid ongoing demonstrations

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Keane warns Iranian regime to take Trump 'dead serious' on protest killing threat amid ongoing demonstrations

Retired general says Iran at 'weakest point' in 45 years as anti-regime demonstrations enter second week

Stephanie Samsel Fox News

Published

January 9, 2026 8:16pm EST

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Gen. Jack Keane: This is the weakest the Islamic Republic of Iran has been in 45 years

Fox News senior strategic analyst Ret. Gen. Jack Keane says another round of conflict between Israel and Iran down the road is inevitable on ‘Special Report.’

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Fox News senior strategic analyst retired Gen. Jack Keane gave a grave assessment of the state of the Iranian regime amid its crackdown on anti-government protests and hinted at what could come next on "Special Report" Friday.

"If I was in the Iranian regime, I would take President Trump dead serious here," Keane warned.

On Friday, President Donald Trump warned in a Truth Social post the U.S. is "locked and loaded and ready to go" if the Iranian regime shoots and kills protesters.

His message comes as anti-regime demonstrations enter their second week, and at least 44 protesters have been killed by Iranian security, according to the National Council of Resistance of Iran.

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Keane declared the Iranian regime is at its "weakest point" in 45 years, with "no prospect of recovering."

Noting Trump’s warning under "no uncertain terms," Keane listed other key differences about the anti-regime protests that stood out to him from previous demonstrations in Iran.

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pictured sitting next to senior military official in Iran. (Getty Images)

"Politically, [the Iranian regime] can't meet the social and political and economic aspirations of the people. Economically, they're in the tank, to be sure, and with no prospect of recovering," Keane added.

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"And militarily, they just lost a war. They've lost their platform in Syria. Their proxies are, by and large, decapitated and almost eliminated, to be sure," he continued. "The result of all of that is they are in a fundamentally weak position, and it's serious in terms of the regime."

The retired U.S. Army general connected his assessment of the Iranian regime to civilian protests.

Anti-Iran regime protests grow across country as Trump admin boosts demonstrators offering support. (Alex Brandon/AP ; Fars News Agency via AP)

"And when you have that, it also breeds discontent and breaks down trust and unity because people begin to fear about their own survival," he explained.

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When Fox News anchor Bret Baier asked Keane what he thought about the probability of "some kind of strike" from the U.S. or Israel in support of anti-regime protesters happening soon, he did not offer a definitive answer.

"I think I would take the president serious," he replied. "I have no insight into what they're thinking, but I'm listening to what they are saying. And he's dead serious."

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Doubling down on his assertion, Keane appeared to refer to the U.S. military’s obliteration of Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities in 2025.

Image shows the Natanz nuclear facility before it was largely destroyed by Israel.

This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows the Natanz nuclear facility in Iran on Jan. 24, 2025. (Maxar Technologies/AP)

"Anybody at this point that doesn’t take President Trump serious when he’s saying something like this, given the last year, is certainly reckless and irresponsible," he stressed.

Stephanie Samsel is a digital production assistant at Fox News Digital. She has previously written for Campus Reform and the Media Research Center, covering political bias in education and entertainment. Follow her on X @StephSamsel.

Keane warns Iranian regime to take Trump 'dead serious' on protest killing threat amid ongoing demonstrations